When the poet finished singing this part, jumped down from the high stool and took off his hat to greet the people around him, Shad, who was eating, felt his pocket, took out two one-shilling coins and threw them over. With superb strength control and good luck, the two coins fell directly into the red soft hat held by the poet.
Two shillings was a very generous gift, and the poet immediately bowed to Shad.
Shade asked:
"I've heard too many legends. Do you have any new excerpts?"
"What do you want to hear?"
the poet asked politely.
"Anything related to the Rhodes card?"
"Yes! The Big City Players in Tobesk ended last week. That much-talked-about final, as well as the controversial identities of the two finalists, are the best topics to discuss."
After saying that, without asking for Xia De's opinion, he picked up his lute again, sat on the high stool, and started the prelude directly.
The people in the Xikar Inn were attracted by this fresh song, and the atmosphere in the inn was even more lively than before. Only Xia De was a little uncomfortable. After all, although what the other party sang was true, the way he described it was too exaggerated.
By the time Shad had finished his meal, the poet had not finished singing the song about "The Big City Players 1853". Shad turned to look at the restaurant and saw two men in the crowd, wearing the uniforms of Royal Army lieutenants, playing Rhodes at a table, so he stood up and walked over.
Ordinary soldiers were not allowed to walk around in military uniforms when on leave, only lieutenants and above were allowed. The two people playing Rhodes at the table at this time, the rough-looking one was the captain, and the shorter but younger-looking one was the lieutenant.
Xia pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. The two people who were playing cards immediately stopped and looked at him.
"Mind if I play a game with you guys?"
Shade took out his deck of cards and wiped them on the table, forming an unfolding arc.
Because of his conversation with the bard just now, this request was not particularly abrupt. The two officers looked at each other, and the older captain asked:
"How do you bet?"
He meant to gamble.
"We play ten games, and draw at least two and at most four in each game. Ties don't count. It's half a shilling a game, and even if we lose it all, it's only the price of a pair of ladies' stockings, but it can provide us with some entertainment."
His analogy made both officers laugh. The rugged-looking captain held out his hand to Shade:
"Joel Joseph, Captain of the Royal Army of Windy Pass."
"John Watson, a writer who comes to the local area to collect folk songs and occasionally does some detective work to help others."
Xia De also reached out and shook his hand.
The lieutenant was the referee, and the two of them checked their decks and started playing. The captain's deck only had two cards with special cards, while Shade used a basic deck. Although ten games sounded like a lot, it was over in less than half an hour.
Not counting ties, Shade won eight of them, and the captain won two. It was a fair game, and the stakes were not high, so Captain Joseph didn't want to cheat.
He was about to pay the bet, but Shade waved his hand and told him not to worry:
"Excuse me, do you know Captain Rades? I have heard about his deeds in Tobesk and I want to talk to him."
Shad first asked about his friend.
"Yes, this captain is a local celebrity. He is in the Red Water Camp and will have a vacation next week. You can go into the mountains and look for him at the Traveler's Camp next to the military camp. You will always be able to find him."
Fengqi Trail is the only way to walk through the Xikar Mountains, so travelers spontaneously formed a relatively simple camp next to the military camp as a transit station into the mountains, and also traded goods with the garrison on Fengqi Trail.
Xia De nodded. Of course, he would not go to find Captain Rades. He just wanted to know that the captain had arrived here safely:
"Speaking of Camp Redwater, do you know Captain Ronald?"
Captain Joseph raised his eyebrows and stopped taking the money, knowing that the man who claimed to be a writer came to him not just to play cards:
"There is indeed a captain named Ronald, but he has not done anything that ordinary citizens can know about... He played cards here and owed gold pounds?"
"No, no, I met a strange man a few days ago. He asked me to deliver this gun to Captain Ronald and gave me a pound for it."
Shade placed the dead corporal's pistol on the table:
"I took other people's money, so I have to do something."
"I don't know when Captain Ronald will take his leave. Why don't I go find him and ask him to tell me when he will take his leave, and then I will tell you."
Captain Joseph asked, and Shade shook his head:
"I am only here to deliver something. There is no need to see the captain. Please help me give him this gun. I don't want the three shillings I won just now. I can also give you some money."
He took out some coins and pushed them to the other party, about 5 shillings. These were found from the corporal who died between life and death. Shade only kept two shillings as his reward and took out the rest. As for the corporal's body, Shade restored it from its toy state and buried it on the Sikar Hill, where the scenery is very beautiful:
"With that, my work is done."
Captain Joseph checked the gun and saw that Shade had no intention of prying into the camp's secrets, so he became less vigilant:
"That's simple, I think. So, after delivering the gun, do we need Captain Ronald to write a receipt to prove that the mission was accomplished?"
He seems to be a responsible person.
"No, I trust people who wear Royal Army uniforms."
Xia De praised the other party a little, and the captain couldn't help but smile:
"Of course, the Royal Army can be trusted."
The atmosphere suddenly became harmonious. Captain Joseph and his companion, Lieutenant Hoyle, had nothing to do in the afternoon, so they invited Shad to continue playing cards.
Shad had nothing to do in the afternoon. He and Father Augustus agreed to meet at four o'clock this afternoon. Now it was only one o'clock, so it seemed like a good idea to spend some time here.
So the three of them planned to start a three-person card game. When Shade checked Lieutenant Hoyle's deck, they listened to the bard's music and talked about the Big City Players in Tobesk. It has been nearly a week since the Big City Players 1853 ended last Wednesday, but the story of that legendary game can still excite Rhodes players around the world.
"How do you want to bet this time?"
Lieutenant Hoyle took the deck from Shade and asked. Seeing that they didn't have any special rule cards, Shade shook his head:
"Actually, I don't gamble normally. How about we play a drinking game? The loser can buy his own drink, half a glass per game. We can get some low-proof and cheap fruit wine."
Xia De suggested, but Captain Joseph shook his head in embarrassment:
"Although we are on vacation now, it is best not to drink too much. It's not that I don't have the confidence to beat you, but judging from the ten games just now, I am afraid that I will have bad luck this afternoon. If we really play, I will definitely drink the most..."
At this moment—
Bang!
The originally bustling inn suddenly became quiet. Captain Joseph and Lieutenant Hoyle subconsciously touched the pistols at their waists, while Shad, like most people on the first floor, looked up.
It was gunfire, coming from right above the hotel.